Change
by Em Kay Who
Summary: It was almost scary how quickly Rose had come to accept that this new man, this pretty boy with really great hair and a London accent to match her own, was in fact her Doctor. She could see it in the manic grin he gave her. She could feel the shiver up her spine as he declared the word, "fantastic!" But most of all she could tell by the way his hand felt just perfectly in hers.


**A/N: This story takes place in the time between The Christmas Invasion and New Earth and is dedicated to the always lovely, youronlyastory. I promised this story to her ages ago and it's taken me waaay longer than it should have to post it. This isn't what I had originally planned when mapping this story out, but I was listening to Coldplay's _The Scientist_ while writing and I think it affected my mood. Hope you all enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. That all goes to the BBC.**

* * *

It was almost scary how quickly Rose had come to accept that this new man, this pretty boy with really great hair and a London accent to match her own, was in fact her Doctor. She could see it in the manic grin he gave her. She could feel the shiver up her spine as he declared the word, "fantastic!" But most of all she could tell by the way his hand felt just perfectly in hers.

* * *

Mickey was baffled at how the time travelling pair just picked up right where they left off. When the Doctor had been unconscious Rose had been so upset, but now that he was awake it was like he never changed in the first place. Mickey Smith was too embarrassed to admit it, but the thought that the Doctor could just go and change his face like that, terrified them. And the fact the Rose handled it so brilliantly, made him feel even worse. Maybe it was time for him to stop being such a wimp. It was time for a change.

* * *

Jackie just shrugged it off. The man was alien (was he even a man in his species?!). For all she knew that was the norm for people from other planets. Was she still worried about her daughter? Absolutely. She would always worry about her little girl. But she trusted the Doctor now. She understands him a bit more. She sees it in the way he looks at Rose. With blue eyes or brown, the alien was positively devoted to her daughter and clearly the feelings were mutual. Clearly, Jackie Tyler had changed. And personally, she though it was for the better.

* * *

The TARDIS had been a bit damaged when the Doctor had crash landed Her on the Powell Estate. After giving the Old Girl a quick scan, he declared Her fixable, but it would take some time. He told Rose they would be travelling again right after New Year's. Her mum was positively thrilled. Rose hadn't been home for such a long period of time since before she ever left with the Doctor and she was looking forward to spending some quality time with her.

So three days after the whole ordeal with the Sycorax, Rose and Jackie set out to the shops to have themselves a girls only day.

"So, have you had it out with himself yet?" Jackie broached gently as they perused a rack of fuzzy jumpers.

Rose furrowed her brow as she held up a light blue jumper to her torso. "What do you mean?" she asked as she examined herself in the mirror.

"Oh, that would be a lovely color on you, sweetheart," her mum commented. "I mean have you and the Doctor discussed everything that happened with him changin' and what not."

She shrugged and decided on purchasing the jumper (secretly, she thought the Doctor would probably enjoy the color. She knew for a fact that he had a thing for the color blue, no matter the shade). "We haven't really had time, mum."

"Bullocks. All that time you've spent watching him tinker away in the box of his these past few days and you haven't once had time to talk about something so important?"

"He's been busy, mum! That 'box of his' is the last TARDIS in existence. I know that might not seem like a big deal to you, but it is. It's not like fixin' up an old car. It takes a lot of care and precision to keep Her going. So we've many stuck to lighter subjects as he's worked."

"Hmm. Well, seems to me you better have a talk with him before you set off to god know where next."

* * *

While purchasing new clothes, Rose decided she felt like a bit of a change herself. She still stuck with her go-to jeans and t-shirts, this time though, she went with some more slim fitting clothing. She wasn't some nineteen year old shop girl slumming around the estate anymore. She was a twenty year old time traveller now. She definitely felt more mature and she wanted her clothing to reflect that. Her mum also suggested that she let her trim and color her hair. "If he can go and change his look why can't you?" she stated and Rose agreed whole heartedly.

* * *

Rose looked at herself in the mirror and felt a wave of confidence wash over her. She folded a pretty purple top that had fit her like a glove (her favourite purchase of the day) and set it aside to wear on the day she and the Doctor would finally set off on their adventures again. The rest of her purchases were folded neatly and ready to be packed up and stored in her room on the TARDIS.

It didn't hit her until she opened her closet door and found his old leather jacket neatly folded on one of the shelves._ Mum must have placed it there,_ she thought absentmindedly. Gently, she picket the jacket it up and inhaled the sweet and spicy scent she had come to know and love as purely_... the Doctor_. Tears sprang to her eyes as she bolted out of the flat, down the stairs, and across the courtyard.

* * *

The Doctor perked up when he heard the TARDIS door fling open and close with a resounding _thud. _He saw Rose, standing in front of the console, her chest heaving from her apparent run. The thing that drew his attention though was her hair. "Rose!" he greeted cheerfully. "You cut your-"

She cut him off with a growl. "I'm angry with you."

"What?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"I'm angry with you," she spat out.

"May I ask why?" She threw the leather jacket at him which, to his credit, he caught easily. "Ah," was his only response.

"I trusted you."

"I know."

"You should have told me."

"I agree."

"I thought you trusted me too."

He rushed forward, but remained a few steps from her. "I do! Rose, I do trust you."

"Then why didn't you tell me?" she whispered.

He closed his eyes. "I didn't think it would happen."

Rose gave a harsh laugh. "All the times we've been in near death situations and you never thought it might happen?"

"I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"That it would be too alien for you!" he practically shouted. "I was afraid if I told you, you would ask me to take you home and I couldn't bear the thought of that. I'm sorry, alright? I'm so sorry. You're right, I should have told you."

Rose took a deep breath and swallowed the sob forming in her throat. "The first time I ever stepped foot in the TARDIS, I asked if you were alien and you told me you were. You asked if that was alright and I told you that it was. You should have trusted me enough to know that it wouldn't have mattered. I'm not going to leave ya' alright? But I need to know if something like this could happen again."

"Regeneration? Yes, it could happen again."

"Has it happened to you before then?"

"Yep. This is my tenth body." He heard her hiss through her teeth, but continued, "Time Lords generally had thirteen. Though there were some exceptions."

She didn't say anything for a long time. Instead she focused her gaze on the leather jacket still in the Doctor's hands. "I know your my Doctor," she admitted quietly. "I really do. It's a little strange how easy it is for me to except that, actually. But I can't help but... I can't help..." She broke down, unable to finish her sentence.

The Doctor raced forward and wrapped his arms around her, rubbing soothing circles in her back and making calming shushing noises in her ear. "I understand, Rose. Better than you think. I know you miss who I was. I don't expect you to completely move on just like that."

"I just feel so guilty!" she told him between sobs. "Because I do miss the old you, but at the same time. I really like this new you. In the little time we've spent together I can already see how happy you are. There's something so much lighter about the way you carry yourself."

He chuckled. "Oh, that's all you, Rose Tyler. You influenced this regeneration one hundred percent."

She sniffled. "I did?"

"Oh, yes!" He grabbed her hand and began to race down the corridor. "Come on! There's something I want to show you."

* * *

Rose gasped as the Doctor lead her to a new level of the wardrobe room. Oh, she had been in there before, but never had she seen this bit.

He sat her down in front of the racks and pulled out a black coat, that looked as if it belonged on some dashing older gentleman from an old black and white show on the telly. "My first body, before I even regenerated..." He then preceded to go through every outfit he had ever worn throughout his long life.

He would be lying if he said that he didn't feel anything when she wrapped his old scarf around her body or tried on the cricket outfit he wore in his fifth body. But that was rule one, wasn't it? He might say that rule one is "no wandering off," but that's not completely true. Rule number one? The Doctor lies.

* * *

Rose giggled as the TARDIS displayed pictures of the Doctor's previous forms, matching the outfits he presented to her. It was hard to imagine her rough Northern Doctor wearing a silly multi-colored scarf or sporting the slightly poetic Edwardian look he did in his eighth body. Sadness swallowed her giggles as she realised that it was that Doctor that went through the Time War and when he died he changed into the Doctor she first knew and loved. He changed into a soldier. "Does the way you die always affect the way you look in your next body?" she questioned aloud.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he went back to hanging up all the clothes that had been taken out.

"When you changed into the last you, you regenerated into a soldier." She was balancing on the edge of things she knew the Doctor didn't like to talk about, but she needed to understand. "It was because of the War... wasn't it?"

"Yes," he answered so quietly she barely heard.

"Then I don't understand how I influenced this regeneration."

He turned his gaze to her's. He could tell her. He should tell her. He should tell her what happened when he absorbed the Time Vortex and became the Bad Wolf. But that was a conversation for another day. She needed to remember those details on her own, or else he ran the risk of her remembering too much at once. Instead he told her about what happened right before the regeneration. "As the process started, all I could think about was you. How you were my best friend and I couldn't stand the thought of you not liking a new version of me. I wanted to be someone who would compliment you."

She threw her arms around his neck. "You're making it really hard to stay angry at you... But not that hard. Promise me you won't do it again."

"Regenerate? Rose, I-"

"Not that! Although, if we could avoid that, at least for a while, that would be nice. I meant don't send me away again. It broke my heart, Doctor. I don't think I would make it if you did that to me again. Promise me you won't send me away again! No matter the circumstance."

"I can't make that promise, Rose," he answered truthfully. "I can tell you this, I will never send you away for no reason. But if we're ever in a situation like we were on the Game Station, then I'm sorry, but I'd do it again in a heartsbeat. I will always keep you safe."

Rose blinked a few times before saying, "Fine."

He raised his eyebrows in shock. "Really?!"

"Yeah, but I'll tell you this, Doctor. I will always come back to you. Nothing is going to change that."

It was pointless arguing with her. She was stubborn and headstrong and he knew for a fact that she meant every word that she said. And truthfully, that thrilled him to know end. He couldn't tell her that though. That would cross that imaginary line he drew between them. Changing the subject would be best. "I like your hair! And is that a new outfit? It looks good."

She beamed under his praise. "Thank you. It is new. I sort of felt like a change I guess."

"Change can be good," he stated as he grabbed her hand and lead her back to the Control Room.

"Change can be really good," she responded with a squeeze to his hand.

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**Reviews would be lovely! xoxo**


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